


Who are you?

by boleyn13



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Ambiguity, Ambiguous Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Denial, Developing Relationship, Drama, Falling In Love, False Identity, First Time, M/M, Romance, Shapeshifter Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 12:34:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10854111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boleyn13/pseuds/boleyn13
Summary: “You met Michael the same day that Loki broke out of SHIELD’s custody.”“Yes, that was an amazing day.”“Don’t you think that’s a little bit weird?”“Nope.”“Have you met his parents yet?”“They died in a car crash years ago.”“You’ve met any of his friends?”“We started dated only a month… What are you doing? I don’t like where this is going and I advise you to instantly stop it.”“I am just asking you to be careful.”Tony meets a charming young man and falls in love. His friends are of the opinion that Tony's boyfriend is not what he claims to be





	Who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> A rather long one-shot that doesn't give you all the answers. It's about Tony getting in a relationship while a constant thread is hanging over it...
> 
> Have fun :)

“I will end you. With my hands around your throat or a knife in your chest. It will be me who ends your useless mortal life.”

Those were the last words to escape Loki’s lips before the muzzle covered half of his face and his broken form was dragged away by several agents. Tony’s life had come to a point where death threats were nothing out of the ordinary, but strangely enough this one made it to actually cause a cold shiver to run down his spine. It shouldn’t. Not now when they had finally wrung him down.

Bones had been broken, blood had been spilled and there would be scars. Yet it was all worth it, Loki would be put in a cell and none of his threats bore any importance.

Steve was standing next to Tony, holding out his hand to help him back up on his feet. A tired but utterly content smile was playing around his lips. They had done it and Steve knew that from this second on every person living on this planet was a little safer. That was a good thought and it had been them who had achieved that.

Pride and relief eventually weighed out the uneasy sensation that Loki’s piercing eyes had left behind. Returning Steve’s smile Tony allowed him to help him up and Loki was already becoming a memory that was soon to be forgotten.

 ***

The next seven months in Tony’s life were eventless bliss. Avengers business was rare and when Iron Man had to take care of something it was small time. That lack of crime and super villainy seemed to fuel Tony’s creativity, he created one patent after another, revolutionized the entire industry, the usual.

Pepper still wasn’t happy, eventually she dragged Tony out of his workshop, because now he was working too much. Okay, she may be right about that, but Tony could see that she wasn’t really upset. Tony wasn’t risking his life every day, friends appreciated that kind of behaviour.

So what was Tony supposed to do when he was more or less forced to stop working? Parading across the country and show off the amazing designs he had created – naturally.

A college campus tour seemed about right. Those poor American students should finally learn something useful and see something inspiring. Also Tony liked to bathe in applause and cheers. Tony was surprised by how much he enjoyed playing professor, even though it was just for one hour at a time.

Tony’s last station was the NYU. The crowd was amazed, Tony was awesome and the show one of a kind. Actually Tony was having so much fun that he told the moderator to forget about their schedule when the former announced that they didn’t have any more time to continue with the Q&A.

“Come on, I’m having fun and all these lovely people came here to see me. You don’t want me to leave already, don’t you?”

The students erupted into cheers and the atmosphere really didn’t resemble an auditorium of a university in the slightest. This was a rock concert. “Oh guys, I love you too. Next one in line. Go.”

The two following questions were similar to most others that had been asked before. They all wanted to know about the Iron Man suit. Sure, they knew what was interesting and Tony told them what they wanted to hear, without giving too much away. The student thanked him and the next in line stepped forward in front of the microphone. “Hello, Mr. Stark. Since everybody else has already thanked you for coming here about ten times, I’m not going to do that again.”

“Now that’s very impolite. I like hearing it.” Tony smirked and the crowd laughed.

“Well, I’m going to thank you after you’ve answered my question. It’s not about the Iron Man suit though, I think that everybody else got that covered.”

Tony let out an exaggerated sigh. “Boring…”

The student laughed, but he didn’t sound embarrassed like most people would have been. “I’m specializing in stochastic analysis and its applications to mathematical physics. I’ve read one of your papers that you published during your time at MIT about the Langevin equation.”

A miracle happened right there on the stage. Tony’s mouth dropped open and it didn’t have anything to do with a hot blonde. “Wow, somebody actually read that piece of crap? You must have a lot of free time, my friend.”

Again, the chuckles were immediate.

“Unfortunately I don’t share your opinion, Mr. Stark, I don’t think it’s a piece of crap. If I now may ask my question…”

And asking his question he did. During the whole lecture Tony had been thoroughly amused, but now he suddenly felt like he was waking up from a soft, very pleasant slumber. Sure, these were all smart kids, they had asked questions about the designs and functions of his suit, probably the most important invention of the century. Intelligent questions, tricky even, but they had been asking him as a teacher, a superior, wanting to learn, almost in awe.

This question was different. The student who had asked it didn’t want to be taught a lesson, he wanted to debate and Tony noticed that he sat now a little straighter. The first time that he actually had to think during this entire event. First it took him a moment to actually remember what he had written back then to impress his physics professor and then he needed to wrap his head around what the young guy even wanted to know.

Naturally Tony completely nailed it, he was able to explain everything in detail and the student smiled contently. “Thank you, Mr. Stark. I’m currently writing a paper on the same topic and I’m definitely going to quote you.”

“Best decision you’ve ever made. Be sure to send me a copy of your paper.”

“Will do.”

As the next one stepped up to the microphone Tony used his multi-tasking skills. While listening to the next questions Tony let his eyes follow the student who had wanted to know about his old work. He was sitting in the middle section. Light brown curls, tall, dressed in black jeans and a blue blazer.

How long had it been that anybody had asked him a question that wasn’t related to Iron Man or Avengers tech? Sure, Tony appreciated the interest in his genius, but it was nice to have somebody recognize his other work.

Now they were back to talking about how awesome the Iron Man armour was and Tony loved talking about that too.

It would have been the most amazing day if Tony hadn’t received a certain message on his phone.

_Loki broke out_

_***_

“Really Fury?! Your guys had one job! How the hell could you let him go?! Are you too stupid to keep a door locked?!”

There was a lot of yelling, since Fury didn’t bother to respond in the same volume that Tony had been using. Then Steve stepped in and Tony was sure that he would tell him to shut up, but to his surprise Steve was just as angry as him.

They had had him. Loki had been locked up in a cell, unable to hurt anyone. The streets had been safe and calm for months. Now Loki was out again and sooner or later people would die, that’s how it always turned out.

The whole story was pathetic. According to Fury the agents had entered Loki’s cell, because he had been lying on the floor, not responding to commands and then the scans had told them that there was no heartbeat. Not breathing.

Idiots

They had taken off the chains and cuffs and Loki had come back to life. The agents were dead now. Fury insisted that there was a good chance that Loki was also pushing up daisies by now. SHIELD had been constantly poisoning him to keep him from using his magic. At least that had worked. Loki had stumbled across the facility and had eventually disappeared. Nobody knew how and where to.

Didn’t matter anyway, Loki was out and New York was going to burn. Also, he had threatened to kill Tony. Wonderful…

Against their expectations the two following weeks nothing happened. The next entire month also remained silent and perfectly calm. That could only mean two things – Loki was planning something and still trying to regain his power or he was indeed dead.

For everyone else life had to go on. Tony wasn’t going to sit around and wait. Business as usual which meant being awesome in Tony’s case. Most of his time he spent in his workshop, trying to find the solution for the energy crisis. Only a question of time, of course, he was Tony Stark.

In between Tony managed to do some actual work. Well, what Pepper called actual work. One of these days Tony was going through some files on his desk and some mail until he found a big brown envelope. Nothing exciting yet. What he found inside got Tony to raise his eyebrows.

It took him a few seconds to remember his speech at the NYU and the question from the young student who had wanted to quote Tony’s paper. That guy had kept his promise, he had sent Tony his paper.

Intrigued Tony shoved all the other things aside and put his feet on the desk. Time for a hopefully good read. Half an hour later Tony was left with a feeling of strange satisfaction and something he’d almost call excitement. How long had it been that he had read something that smart? Tony couldn’t deny that he enjoyed being quoted in a paper that had nothing to do with Iron Man or the arc reactor. It was mathematics. Almost simple… well no, it was anything but simple, but it was something different. Something entirely theoretical and Tony liked it. What he liked even more was the fact that the author was a show-off.

On the last page Tony found a post-it. Scrawly handwriting but Tony had no trouble reading it. _Professor said it’s one of the best papers he’s ever read. Solid A. I guess I have to also give you some credit._

Wow, how generous. But the professor was right, it was brilliant. Checking out the first page Tony was looking for a name.

Michael Chase

When had been the last time Tony had done some recruiting?

 ***

Ah, the smell of cheap beer and vomit. Sometimes Tony really missed being in university. It had been hilariously easy to find his future employee. The guy who had just lost at a drinking game and was now sitting at the bar, holding his head in his hands, because he was probably going to be sick.

Made to work for Stark Industries.

Smiling to himself Tony sat down on the empty barstool next to Michael. Bourbon for the young man.”

“No, no, no, I’ve clearly had en…” Looking up Michael, although he’s definitely had enough, realized who was next to him and instantly tried to sit up straight and failed miserably. Tony loved it. A smart guy who knew how to drink. “Oh fuck, what are you doing here?”

“Being nostalgic. God, I miss passing out on the floor of seedy college bars… Also I wanted to tell you that I liked your paper. Especially how you used my work to support your theory.”

It was almost too funny to watch how the young man blinked, trying to comprehend Tony’s words, but he clearly was out of his depth. Mostly because of the alcohol… and it was clearly overwhelming to be this close to Tony. “My… what? Could you please stop standing on your head and say that again.”

Now that was just adorable.

Michael closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again, because everybody knew that the world was spinning even faster when you closed your eyes. “Oh fuck… how did you even… I’d never thought that it would land on your desk when I sent it…”

“Well, you’re lucky that my secretary does a shit job at separating the important from the unimportant stuff. Let’s talk business. I really liked what I’ve read. You’re smart and obviously not one of those terrible kill-joys who don’t like to get shit-faced during the week. I offer you a job. Part-time since you haven’t finished school yet. You’ll write your thesis in co-operation with Stark Industries, you’ll get complete compensation. I’ll even let you choose the topic you want. You can sign the contract tomorrow. Any questions? No? Awesome.”

The young man’s mouth dropped open and he uttered the most incredulous “What?”

When Tony started repeating the whole thing Michael shook his head and then instantly grabbed the edge of the counter with his hand, probably afraid to fall from his chair. “Nah, I’m just hallucinating anyway… Tony Stark walking in a bar and offering me a job.”

This was the most fun Tony has had in a while. Grabbing a napkin Tony wrote down the most important details and stuffed it into the pocket of Michael’s jacket. “Call me when the hangover has set in.”

 ***

Michael did call. Tony noticed with pleasure that he didn’t apologize for being drunk. He didn’t even babble or seemed especially nervous. The kid knew how good he was and Tony liked that. Who the fuck cared about those idiots who thought that modesty was good for… anything?

They had to negotiate about the salary, but a week later Michael signed a contract and Tony patted himself on the back. For doing something that might actually profit the company.

About two months later Tony had one of his supervisors update him on Michael and of course he was doing excellent work. A couple of weeks passed and Tony was almost ready to forget about the student again, but then his phone rang and it was Michael. He had started to write on his thesis and now thought it was time to properly thank Tony.

This was how him and Michael ended up in another bar. A bit fancier this time and Michael was perfectly sober. “I should have done this sooner. At first I complimented myself, telling myself that I got this job, because I’m so good, but… there would have been no job without you. So thank you. Again.”

“Nah, what’s there to thank me for? Apart from giving you the opportunity to work for one of the most profitable and well-respected companies in the entire world… a job other people in your position would murder for… You know what? I just realized that a ‘thank you’ and a drink isn’t enough. You’ll need to give me your firstborn.”

A grin appeared on Michael’s young face and he softly shook his head. “What would you do with a baby?”

“It would be a great accessory to pick up women. Babies and dogs. Works every time.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Firstborn, got it. It’s all yours.” Michael raised his glass as to drink to that and Tony now definitely decided that he liked him. Easy to talk to and he could keep up with him when Tony decided that he wanted to go into genius-mode. No matter how much Tony had come to like his fellow Avengers, he missed talking to somebody on his level whenever Bruce wasn’t around and Bruce wanted a lot of time for himself.

Steve wasn’t idiot, but he still couldn’t really tell the difference between the TV and a computer. Natasha and Clint had a very special set of skills, but they knew nothing about mathematics or physics. Thor… no, Tony wasn’t even going to start with that.

“I’ve always loved figures. The logic that lies within them. There is no maybe, just yes and no. The fact that you can explain the entire universe in numbers, not in letters. It’s fascinating. It’s everything.” Michael absently ran a hand through his hair as if to straighten out his curls, but that didn’t work. He was still smiling. “Can I tell you something and you promise you won’t laugh.”

“Oh, I promise you I definitely will laugh.” Tony winked and Michael shrugged, obviously too much in a good mood to care. “Okay, I can deal with that, I’ll tell you anyway. The night before your speech at the NYU… I spent it studying our paper. Even the parts that weren’t related to my work in any kind of way… I wanted to make sure that there was no chance in hell that I was going to make a fool out of myself… God, five minutes before the speech I knew the entire paper pretty much by heart.”

That was new. Sure, Michael had clearly shown huge interest in Tony’s work and Stark Industries. He wasn’t arrogant enough to pretend that he wasn’t impressed. Quite the opposite. Nevertheless Tony had never heard him admitting something like nervousness. Michael was one of those people with an almost scary amount of self-confidence. Not without a reason. “Sure, I get that. Everybody goes a little crazy when they’re in front of Iron Man.”

In response Michael huffed and made a gesture that was probably supposed to mean ‘Screw Iron Man’, Outrageous. “I got very annoyed during the speech. Weren’t you? All that talk about the armour? Yes, it is one of the defining inventions of several generations, but it’s not like it’s the only thing you’ve ever done. I wasn’t there to listen for an hour to questions about Iron Man. You wrote that paper and it’s brilliant. I didn’t want you to think that I’m too stupid to get it.”

“I didn’t think that. Not even for a second. Hell, you had to be the smartest person in the room for even reading it.”

“Wow, now I’m not sure who you just flattered more. Me or yourself.”

“Both. You’re still paying right? I want another drink.”

That one drink became a few more and they talked about pretty everything Tony could think of, except Avengers’ business. It was fun, especially when Michael told them that he had a lecture at 9 o’clock in the morning. He would have to go there completely hung-over.

God, Tony liked that guy.

Everything would have been so completely normal and not at all confusing if that party at Stark Industries hadn’t happened. Those things were important, only happy employees were good employees. How could you make your employees happy? Free food and liquor. It was quite amazing how much these skinny scientists could drink. Tony shook a lot of hands, clicked glasses, joked and charmed his way through the crowd and Pepper was surprisingly content with him. Yes, eventually Tony got drunk and was the last one to stay, but that had to be expected. The service staff had been already sent home and poured himself a drink.

“Last call?”

Michael was leaning against the counter, wearing a dark blue suit and a smile on his lips.

“Yup. You want some?”

Without waiting for an answer Tony handed Michael a glass of bourbon who thanked him and lifted it to his lips, but then they didn’t touch it. “Something wrong?”

“No, I just…” Smiling sheepishly Michael put the glass back down. “Have I ever told you that I’ve never drunk bourbon before? Not until I invited you to thank you for… my job.”

“You definitely missed out on something then. What did you drink to get drunk then”?

“Mostly beer. I guess I’ve made a lot of new experiences. I kinda like it.”

That was something Tony could only agree with and downed his last glass. “I’m always glad to be of service…” A yawn deformed the last word and Tony rubbed a hand over his eyes. “How late is it anyway?”

“Only half past four.”

“Only half… Only? Good fucking Lord, how old are you? Yes, I know you’re still in school and you can drink an entire night away without having a headache in the morning. How old are you?”

“24”

That made sense, he looked like a 24 year-old. Young, attractive, full of energy and not the tiniest little bit sleepy. Tony was 20 years older and he felt every single one of them. He was tired, his eyelids were getting heavy and the thought of his bed filled him with incredible longing. This was without a doubt the first time in Tony’s life that he felt old. “I’m not going to keep you any longer, I guess you’ll want to meet up with some friends in a club or do whatever you do on a Saturday night.”

Michael let his fingers run over the edge of the glass and softly shook his head. “No, I don’t feel like going anywhere. I’d rather…”

Tony quirked an eyebrow and searched Michael’s face. Right in front of him. Had he come closer? “What?”

That 24 year-old brilliant mathematics student suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips on Tony’s. There weren’t many things left in Tony’s life that were still able to amaze him.

This was one of them.

There were even fewer things left that Tony hadn’t done before.

This was one of them.

Memories of being in college, of being young and even more reckless than today were still vivid, but even during his longest and drunkest nights Tony had never kissed another guy.

That obviously wasn’t the case with Michael. Not overly demanding, not actually shy. His hands were on the lapels of Tony’s suit, his mouth was kissing him and to Tony’s astonishment Michael tasted sweet. Soft lips, maybe not quite as soft as the ones of a woman, but Tony was surprised that there was no stubble, nothing that would make this experience… unpleasant. Except for Michael being a dude and Tony not having a clue what was going on.

In these kinds of situation it was best to go with your gut. This was a person Tony genuinely liked, Michael was attractive and what he was doing felt good. Also, it was half past 4 in the morning and Tony was drunk.

Tony kissed him back. A bit tentatively at first but when it turned out that the kiss didn’t feel any different from what Tony was used to, he got into it. Saturday night, the end of a party and they were drunk, these things always ended up in make-out sessions, didn’t they?

Michael’s teeth grazed over Tony’s lower lip and a shiver ran down his spine when the kiss became deeper. The tongue of another man was in Tony’s mouth and it felt exciting. Not strange. It felt good and quite a bit confusing.

When Michael’s lips left his Tony’s head was swimming and he let out a content sigh that was also slightly out of breath. “Okay, what was…”

The unfinished question went right into nowhere, because Michael wasn’t in his field of vision anymore. Perhaps Tony’s brain was too slow to keep up with what was happening around him, because he only understood what Michael was doing down on his knees when the young man was already opening his pants.

Now that definitely wasn’t what…

“Micha… Oh…” Tony grabbed the edge of the counter behind him to steady himself, but he thought like he was about to fall over when his cock was pulled from his underwear and Michael’s mouth closed around the tip.

That was… the definite end of Tony’s ability to think. Maybe some other time he could think about what the hell was going. Now he was only interested in the heat around his cock which was rapidly growing hard. There was not much Tony could do but holding on to dear life. A skillful tongue was teasing him, then suddenly it was all tight and hot and Michael wouldn’t stop. Took all of him inside and Tony moaned, because it felt overwhelming, fantastic. Then Michael hollowed his cheeks and Tony thought he was going to pass out.

 ***

“Wait!” Bruce held up both of his hands as if he was trying to use his entire body to stop the constant flow of words that was leaving Tony’s mouth. “What did you just say? No, scratch that. Don’t repeat it. Don’t ever repeat it. Why are you talking to me about this?”

“Because you’re the logical choice.”

That statement caused Bruce’s eyes to grow twice their size. “What? I am the logical choice when you want to talk about how you had sex with…” Clearing his throat Bruce continued, a little bit quieter this time. “… a guy.”

Yeah, that was the appropriate tone. “Who am I going to talk to? Steve? Thor? No, thanks. I just need… Do you think it’s possible that he… felt like he had to do that? That I made him think that I wanted some kind of repayment for getting him a job?”

Bruce slowly took off his glasses and every little gesture showed how uncomfortable he felt with this entire situation. Tony was almost sorry for dragging him into this, but this was the first time ever Tony felt confused and rather unsure about a sexual encounter. Somebody had to talk with him about it.

“If he knows anything about you… then no. That’s not the kind of thing you would do. Also… you are not into guys. I mean… you aren’t, right?”

Determinedly Tony shook his head. “No, I am not. Can I still say that after getting a blowjob from a… Right, you don’t want me to say blowjob. Sorry, did it again. I’ve met thousands of women who didn’t waste any time, but he just… did that and I don’t think I encouraged him… also… He’s a guy, Bruce. Definitely a guy. Not one of these feminine dudes who you could easily mistake for a girl. He’s lean, yeah, but those aren’t the shoulders of a girl. I… God, this is so fucking confusing.”

Fortunately Bruce, despite wanting to run away, kept his calm. “Tony, at your age you should know that one… encounter doesn’t define your sexuality. Especially when both of you were drunk. You’re not obligated to anything. You said you like the guy, so tell him that it was a one-time thing and… forget about it. Or don’t. Seriously Tony, I don’t know what you want from me.”

An easy answer, but Bruce was right. Tony was talking to the wrong person.

 ***

Michael had grey eyes. Tony had never noticed that before. Grey was getting a bad rap as a color. Unimposing, neutral, inconspicuous. None of these terms fitted. They were intense and pretty. Michael’s entire face was easy to look at. Tony also liked the brown curls.

By looking at them Tony remembered that he had kept his hands the whole time on the counter. Those curls would be perfect to bury his fingers in them.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Michael smiled and for the first time ever it appeared to be a bit shy.

“Yeah, what could that conversation be about?” Tony mumbled and Michael licked his lips. Good lord, Tony had come in that mouth…

“I just want to know… You sucking my brains out didn’t have anything to do with me getting you your job, right? Because if I’m sending some kind of ‘Hey, I expect blowjobs for offering you a job’ signals, I definitely want to know that.”

Michael blinked in surprise and then instantly shook his head. “No, I didn’t… Mr. Stark, I think…”

“Oh, fuck that, we’re way past ‘Mr. Stark’.”

In response Michael smirked a little bit. “Tony, I know I got the job, because I’m smart. I kissed you, because I think you are attractive, charming, intelligent and in that moment I just really wanted to… I feel very attracted to you. It’s as simple as that.”

Really? Was it simple at all?

Michael was standing right in front of him. Not in a suit this time, but jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. Tony decided that he liked him better this way. “Ah and you’re the type of guy who just… goes for it?”

“The alcohol helped, but no, I didn’t do something like that before.”

That was a relief and Tony was still trying to phrase what he wanted to say. Unfortunately he had no idea what that was. “I never did anything like that before. Not with a guy.”

“Oh…” An almost inaudible sigh escaped Michael’s lips and now he was definitely blushing. For a moment Tony actually expected him to say ‘Sorry’ but that would be ridiculous. “I enjoyed it though… it was still completely inappropriate. I’m your boss. Having sex with me is not the smartest thing to do.”

Michael reacted with a small nod. “But you liked it?”

“I think that should be fairly obvious…”

Inwardly Tony cursed the alcohol, it did cloud his memory a little bit, but what he remembered had been amazing.

“Yeah, me too.”

His fingers were itching and Tony went for it. The brown curls were perfectly soft, Michael’s mouth was hot and Tony was kissing him with all he had.

No, definitely not a smart decision.

 ***

Two weeks and a lot of kisses later Tony finally gathered up the courage to invite Michael to the penthouse. There were drinks, not enough to get hammered though, Tony wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

He might have made another mistake. A far bigger one.

“This is extraordinary! How is anyone talking about the arc reactor when you basically created life?!”

Jarvis got more attention than Tony – which was unacceptable. Until Tony realized that Michael was one of the few people smart enough to actually understand what Tony was talking about when he was trying to explain how Jarvis actually worked. Nothing was more stimulating than talking with somebody who was on your level. Well, almost.

“This is fascinating. I’d die to take a look at the codes you used to program him.” Michael was still in awe and Tony had to admit that the bright sparkling in his eyes made him feel proud. Still, that was enough talking about Jarvis.

By now Tony had kissed Michael a couple of times and he was completely okay with that, since he liked the way Michael’s mouth tasted. The kisses weren’t any different and even getting a blowjob from a man was basically the same as receiving it from a woman. Tony knew that touching him would be different.

It was ridiculous that Tony was actually thinking about where to put his hand on Michael’s body to get his attention when they had already done something way more intimate. Ignoring that thought Tony put his hand on Michael’s hip and pulled him close. “No need to die for them. You could just ask me…”

Tony liked how he could clearly see on Michael’s face how the other one forgot all about Jarvis. “Maybe later.”

Yeah, that sounded way better. When Tony leaned in to kiss him Michael snaked his arms around Tony’s neck. Like this the differences couldn’t be denied. Tony could feel a flat chest against his own. There was nothing soft about Michael, he was a guy. Definitely a guy. Not that it mattered, kissing Michael gave Tony goosebumps. He didn’t need to know more.

Michael let Tony lead him to the couch and climbed instantly into Tony’s lap when they sat down. Such a simple action was enough to make Tony gasp, simply because he didn’t expect it. Or maybe he should stop pretending that he wasn’t nervous. The man he was with was lovely, 20 years younger than him and a guy.

Currently he was nibbling on Tony’s lower lip, both of his hands doing their best to completely dishevel Tony’s hair. Normally a little bit of kissing was a very slow start for Tony, but right now his heart was racing. That was clearly a guy in his lap. Tony had to start somewhere. Slowly Tony put his hands on Michael’s waist and the reaction was instant. Michael grabbed Tony’s hands and replaced them. On his ass.

Okay, so much about potential misunderstandings

“I thought you’d be the kind of man who’d go straight for the price, Mr. Stark.” Michael whispered into Tony’s ear and who would have thought that he could sound like this. Teasing, seductive.

Tony didn’t need to be asked twice. Using both of his hands Tony squeezed and he liked what he felt. Tight, there was no doubt that Tony was going to find a perfectly fit body beneath all that useless clothing.

They were kissing again, Michael was rubbing himself against Tony. A needy groan escaped Tony’s lips and he definitely wanted Michael. No, Tony wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t care.

“I want you to fuck me, Tony.”

Maybe it meant exactly that. Definitely.

“Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

Tony was most definitely completely sober, but by the time his head hit the pillow he felt quite drunk. Michael was on top of him, stripping off his t-shirt, revealing white skin and tight muscles. As expected. The lack of breasts wasn’t turning Tony off which was great news. What he didn’t like though was the fact that Michael was calling the shots. After pulling Michael down in a hard kiss Tony rolled them around, pinning the lithe but firm body to the mattress. His lips weren’t quite enough, so Tony worked his way down, trailing kisses over Michael’s neck and collarbone.

Nice. Different but Tony liked it.

Michael, young, sinful and male wasn’t the type to just lie there. Suddenly he parted his legs and wrapped them around Tony. So this was what it was going to be like. “Okay, I want you, but I’ve never done this with a guy before. You’ll need to give me hand.”

“Oh, definitely more than that.”

Life was all about making new experiences and Tony was definitely overwhelmed by this one. Michael knew exactly what he was doing and he made sure that him and Tony were equally enjoying it. Enjoy. That word didn’t quite capture it. Michael was on top of him and he was wonderfully tight. Not quite like anything Tony had felt before. When he slid into him all air was knocked out of Tony’s lungs and he held on tight to Michael’s hips. Normally Tony liked to let his eyes slide closed, to concentrate on what he was feeling. Now Tony was intensely staring at Michael who was moving on top of him. He hadn’t known that a man could be that sexy. Head thrown back, his back arched, lips slightly parted, his curls sticking to his sweaty forehead. The way he moved his hips, sensual and so maddeningly good.

Tony came hard and his body was rocking with the aftermath of his orgasm. Pleasure he hadn’t experienced before, at least not of that kind. If Tony had to give a summary, he would call all of it amazing. Even giving somebody else a hand-job.

They showered together and since Tony didn’t feel the slightest desire to send Michael home, he let him slide beneath the covers next to him. With a content sigh Michael draped his arm over Tony’s chest.

“I’d just like to tell you… I like you.”

Nothing but a sleepy whisper but it was enough to make Tony feel a little flutter inside his chest. The young man next to him fell asleep and Tony kept looking at him. Like this Michael looked even younger. So young that he shouldn’t lie in bed next to Tony. And yet he did.

Almost a little bit sheepishly Tony brushed his fingers over the soft brown curls. Michael was lovely. There was no other way to put it. How old? 24 years? It was foolish to think that someone like Michael would see in this little… thing something more than a one-night-stand or a fling.

Would Tony even want that? Keeping someone around? No, not really. Even if, it would have to be someone his age, somebody with the same experiences, somebody who was in the same place as him.

But right now lying next to Michael was nice. Peaceful.

The next morning Tony got up early and found himself in the kitchen, preparing pancakes without even thinking about it. About 15 minutes he could hear the sound of naked feet on the floor and Tony felt the little flutter again.

Michael was cute. That word shouldn’t be used to describe a guy, but it was awfully fitting. The way he was rubbing his eyes, his hair was completely tousled and he was only wearing his t-shirt and shorts. “Good morning…”

“Morning… uhm… Honey, strawberries, blueberries or chocolate?”

Michael only raised an eyebrow and Tony smiled. “Your pancakes. How do you like them?”

“Oh, uhm… honey. Thanks.”

They had breakfast together, Michael was smiling and before Tony knew what was happening, he invited him to dinner that night.

 ***

“Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but… can we go someplace else?”

These words were uttered only a few minutes after Tony and Michael had entered the restaurant. Tony took a look around, wondering why he had chosen this place. Stiff waiters and the costumers seemed just as up-tight. Perfect for business meetings but not for… Michael.

“Do you have something in mind?”

Michael smiled, grabbed Tony’s hand and pulled him away. They had pasta and red wine, a table at the window and a family of four was sitting right next to them. It wasn’t like Tony noticed them in any kind of way.

After the dinner it was Tony who grabbed Michael’s hand and they went back to the tower. The flutter in Tony’s chest wouldn’t go away. It stayed – just like Michael.

 ***

“Good, then it’s settled. Meeting at 7 o’clock.”

Everybody was getting up from their chairs when Tony cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s not going to fly.”

Steve, clearly not expecting that somebody would disagree with his schedule, raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I have plans.”

“Tony, I am sure your workshop can wait half an hour.”

“Yeah, my workshop can wait, but my date can’t.”

A lot of blank stares, nobody seemed to quite believe what they were hearing. Tony didn’t have dates. What would they say if they knew that Tony actually had a boyfriend?

Boyfriend…

It wasn’t like Michael and him had already had that conversation, but the things they were doing together were screaming ‘couple’. Also Tony definitely preferred spending the evening with Michael to a conference with the Avengers where they would debate over their latest mission.

Everybody was a bit confused but there were no further objections and Tony went to the movies with Michael, then he took him home with him.

Michael was sitting on the couch, sipping on the beer that Tony had handed him. It was a nice picture. Seeing him there and Tony thought that he might want to get used to it. When Tony sat down next to him, Michael smiled at him and put his hand on Tony’s wrist, softly rubbing his skin with his thumb.

“I want to ask you something and I hope you won’t be pissed off like women tend to when they hear it.”

Interested Michael nodded, signaling Tony to go ahead. “I’m not a woman, so try me.”

“Are you seeing anyone else?”

“No. Are you?”

“No.”

“Do you want to?”

Shockingly easy to answer. “No, I want to… figure out what is going on between the two of us. Or what you are expecting from me.”

Michael continued to smile. “I’m not expecting anything from you. I like you, you know that. I’d like to stay around if you want me to.”

Why did he make it sound like it was Tony’s choice? Michael was half his age, pretty, brilliant and he had other options. Granted, a good looking, genius billionaire wasn’t the worst choice, but Tony just knew that Michael didn’t care too much about money. “You don’t have some unresolved daddy issues I should know about?”

The immediate reaction was an amused laugh and Tony didn’t miss how Michael licked his lips. “No, I don’t and I don’t think that you necessarily look your age…”

“Oh, you stop talking right now.”

“Make me.”

So Tony kissed him and although it hadn’t explicitly been said, Tony knew that he had a boyfriend.

 ***

To be honest Tony didn’t see it coming and the reason for that was fairly simple. Tony was enormously distracted because he was happy. For the first time ever he seemed to be in a stable relationship that actually worked.

Naturally his friends had to try to start nitpicking the most minor and unimportant details. Tony led Michael to the elevator, kissed him goodbye and as soon as he was gone, Tony turned to the rest of the Avengers who had only met his boyfriend five minutes ago.

“He’s a guy.”

And here we go. Tony was already trying so hard to not roll his eyes. “Yes, Clint. He is a guy. That’s why I called him my _boy_ friend.”

Clint blinked, completely overwhelmed by that little piece of information, so Natasha had to take over. “Last time I checked you weren’t gay.”

“When did you ever check that? And no, I’m still not gay.”

Suddenly Clint was back among the living. “Well, you just kissed him. What do you call that?”

“I don’t feel any need to discuss my sexual preferences with you, but because you seem so terribly confused… I’ve dated countless of women. Hundreds. Michael is one guy. That doesn’t equal gay. Are we done now? You’ve met Michael, he’s going to be around a lot.”

Of course they weren’t done. Tony didn’t care, he was happy.

One day though Natasha sat down opposite of him. Not saying a word. Just looking at him. With those intense eyes a staring contest could become quiet disturbing. So Tony did speak up, but didn’t bother to swallow the big bite he had just taken from his sandwich. “What?”

“When did you meet him? Michael.”

Tony raised an eyebrow but answered “Four months ago. A speech at a university, he was the only one who asked an intelligent question.”

Natasha’s eyes bore into his. “Four months ago. Any chance you know the exact date?”

“No, I don’t. Why is that important? You need something to obsess over?”

“I’m merely being curious.”

“Ask Jarvis, he knows every single detail of my life.”

Conversation ended and Tony forgot about it. Until Natasha stood in front of him again, a week later. “You met Michael the same day that Loki broke out of SHIELD’s custody.”

That information wasn’t even exciting enough for Tony to blink. “Yes, that was an amazing day.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little bit weird?”

“Nope.”

“Have you met his parents yet?”

“They died in a car crash years ago.”

“You’ve met any of his friends?”

“We started dated only a month… What are you doing? I don’t like where this is going and I advise you to instantly stop it.”

Natasha cocked her head to the side and continued to look at him. With blank eyes. “I am just asking you to be careful.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Tony stormed out of his own tower, called Michael and met him at his place. After thoroughly kissing him and looking into his grey eyes Tony felt a little bit better. Michael was obviously worried, frowning. “Something wrong? You sounded strange on the phone…”

“Natasha was being a bitch. Forget about her. God, you are beautiful.” Tony cupped Michael’s cheeks to study his face. Gorgeous grey eyes, a small nose, lips that were made to be kissed. Four months ago Tony had never seen this face before. There was no similarity. Nothing.

Unique. One of a kind. Stepped into Tony’s life like a complete surprise and desperately needed. “Do you mind if I stay here tonight?”

That request was immediately answered with a shy smile. “Sure… I mean… my bed is a lot smaller than yours.”

“That means we have to get closer together. I like that.”

Tony made it to relax during the evening and he was proven wrong. It was actually possible to enjoy Netflix on a real TV screen that wasn’t as big as the entire wall. Maybe his company was responsible for that. Michael had snuggled up to him, his head was on Tony’s shoulder and he smelled so sweet.

“Michael…”

“Hmm?” He sounded sleepy.

“Are you going to introduce me to some of your friends?”

“Do you want that?”

“Kinda…”

“I don’t have a nice little group like you. I have friends, but I don’t see any of them each day… but I’ll gladly introduce to someone. That’s going to be the most amazing thing that’s ever going to happen to them… Tony Stark…” Tony’s name was more or less a purr and it gave him goosebumps.

A little kiss was pressed to his neck and Michael’s hand slipped beneath his t-shirt, causing Tony’s breath to get caught. He moved his head to the side so their lips could meet and Michael draped his leg over Tony’s lap. “Seriously… what is it with you? Are you into old men?”

Michael smiled against his mouth. “No, I’m into you. Come to bed with me?”

Tony had never said yes this quickly. After some almost unbearably intimate and pleasurable sex Tony lay next to his young lover and studied all the details of his body. Everything about him was beautiful and real. This was a real person lying next to him and Natasha was crazy. Tony was in love.

 ***

Steve came to him next and he was straight-forward which was surprising enough. “Natasha thinks that your boyfriend might be Loki.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Tony snorted and continued to type on his keyboard. “I’m thinking about kicking her out. Or off the balcony.”

Kudos to Steve, he didn’t look shocked. Quite the opposite. “Tony, I don’t agree with her. She basically listed a lot of coincidences. That you met Michael the day that Loki broke out of prison… or that Michael doesn’t have to seem a lot of personal ties. It’s not enough to go crazy, the only thing I want to ask you… if this were about anybody else, would it be enough for you to look into it?”

Tony felt his heartrate speeding up. His whole body was already fighting the idea Steve was trying to put into his head. “Enough? What is there? I met him on that day. Wow. Let’s throw him into prison. Natasha has lost her mind.”

“I gotta admit, it was a little strange to suddenly see you dating a man…”

“Yeah, because you’re from the 40ies.”

Sighing in frustration Steve shook his head. “No, because you’ve only ever dated women and now you’re in a relationship with a man who is also significantly younger than you. Loki threatened to kill you, he breaks out of prison and the same day you meet your new partner. It was him who… made the first step, right?”

Tony almost burst out laughing. First step. Giving him a blowjob out of nowhere, yes, that counted as a first step. “Steve, you’re my friend, there I’m going to say this as friendly as I can – Let it go. Natasha is paranoid or maybe upset, because their super SHIELD prison turned out to be shit. If she doesn’t live my boyfriend alone, she can search herself a new home.”

“I get that, Tony. I’m sorry… It’s just… he came completely out of nowhere. Have you ever met some of his friends or family? Or…”

“Steve, shut up.”

“Loki has to be somewhere and we both know that he isn’t going to stay away forever. It would be normal to be careful when somebody new enters our lives.”

“No, when somebody enters my life.”

“He directly threatened you, Tony.”

Losing his cool Tony wanted nothing more than to jump up and yell at him. What did Steve know? What did all of them know? Had they even looked at him? Tony was the guy everybody wanted to be. All over the world young men were staring at him and thought ‘I wish I could ever be as cool, rich or successful as Tony fucking Stark’. By the way Tony was also a certified genius. He had several degrees, he was practically spitting out patents and new inventions every day.

And yet all of his friends couldn’t believe that a young, gorgeous and bright man would be interested in Tony. No, it had to be the crazed out alien that wanted to kill all of them. “Fuck you, Steve.”

 ***

“What’s wrong with you? You’re getting lines around your eyes…” Michael softly smiled at him, his fingers brushing over Tony’s hair.

“What? You’re only now realizing that I’m old?” Tony tried to make a joke, but Michael wouldn’t go for it. “You know you can tell me when something is wrong. I don’t know if I can help you with whatever problem you have, but I’ll gladly try.”

Tony pulled his arm tighter around him and shook his head. “Fight with the Avengers. Nothing important, it’s just putting me into a bad mood. Let’s not talk about it. You want to sit down get something to drink?” Tony gestured at the terrace of a café that they were passing by, but Michael declined. “No, I think this is nice. Just walking around a bit.”

Nice it was and something that Tony wasn’t familiar with. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a walk. Taken a walk with somebody he was in a relationship with.

“Is there something you want to tell me? Or talk about?” Tony regretted that question as soon as he had asked it. Inwardly cursing Natasha and Steve for poisoning his thoughts. Michael was real and Tony was not going to start looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

Thanks to some deity that Tony didn’t believe in Michael didn’t hear the tremble in his voice and continued to smile at him. “No… not really… I’m enjoying this…” Michael leaned his head against Tony’s shoulder, something he liked to do and they continued to stroll through the streets. Not looking for anything, not trying to get anywhere.

Tony was happy and he hated the others for putting such a dark thought in the back of his head.

 ***

The next time Natasha tried to talk to him, Tony threw her out and instantly had Jarvis to change all the security codes. Every word that came out of her mouth was insult, only meant to hurt him.

_He has no family_

_No close ties to the people he studies with_

_His entire life is normal and secluded, it would have been incredibly easy to make all of it up_

How could she even dare to run a background check on Michael? And even when she had found nothing, Natasha still wouldn’t let it go.

_We’d just have to test his blood, then we’d see if he is human_

Tony had never felt the urge to stab somebody with a screwdriver before. Murder would mean prison though and Tony wasn’t keen on that. So instead he told Natasha to fuck off and Fury that he was never going to work with her in the same team again. Before the pirate had been able to respond Tony had hung up.

Five minutes later Tony had called Michael and asked him to move in with him. A clear overreaction and thankfully Michael had said that it was way too soon for that. Nonetheless Michael immediately packed his over-night bag and he was standing in front of Tony’s door half an hour later.

It was so easy to smile when Michael was here. They watched Netflix on the couch and when Tony got hungry and wanted to order pizza, Michael dragged him into the kitchen. “This is not a good idea. I managed to make you breakfast, but actual food? This is not going to work out.”

“I see the stuff you shove into your mouth when you are in your workshop. You need some healthy food. Urgently. There’s rice and… even some vegetables. We can make something of that.”

“You’re a student, you should be totally fine with living on fast food.”

“Shut up and start cutting vegetables.”

Tony gave him a little salute and did as he was asked. Or ordered to. Cooking with Michael was like doing anything with Michael – awesome. The food was good too and Tony had to bite his tongue to not ask him a second time to simply not leave again. He wasn’t going to leave tonight and that had to be enough for now.

A couple of hours later Tony lay in bed, his arm around Michael’s waist and it was so easy to fall asleep. Afterwards Tony couldn’t remember if he had dreamed or not, but eventually it didn’t matter. Waking up resembled a nightmare.

There was a slight pain that wasn’t enough to make anyone cry out, but it sufficient to pull Tony from his sleep. These couple of seconds you needed to differentiate between the remains of slumber and reality were entirely focused on a shiny light right in front of Tony. Until the realized that it was no light, an object that reflected the limited amount of moonlight which streamed into the room through the huge windows. The pain intensified and now Tony could locate it.

A hand was around his throat squeezing and the lack of oxygen made Tony’s body go into panic mode. His own hands came up to free himself off the unforgiving grip when his eyes completely adjusted to the darkness and he could make out that the reflecting object was a blade. Two immediate threats to his life, but neither of them made Tony’s blood freeze in his veins. The sight of Michael holding the knife and that it was his hand around Tony’s throat was nothing but horror.

Tony struggled, trying to say Michael’s name to snap him out of whatever was going on, but his face was blank expect for glowing, unnatural green eyes. Michael’s hand came down and Tony was sure he was going to die when a bright light filled the room and the pain never came. Instead Tony could breathe.

“Sir, are you alright?”

Gasping for air Tony sat up and jumped out of bed, feeling the need to run, to move. The blood was pulsing in his ears, he thought he was going to pass out.

“Sir?”

The Iron Man suit was standing there, looking at him, speaking with Jarvis’ voice and Tony stared back. Not daring to look on the floor, because Michael might be dead. Not breathing. It might not be Michael at all.

“Michael?”

“He’s unconscious, sir. An ambulance is on the way.”

Nodding softly Tony felt his knees buckle and he slid down to the floor, his entire body shaking.

 ***

“Stark, you shouldn’t be…”

“Don’t tell me I shouldn’t be here.” Tony was desperately trying to not wrap his arms around himself. He didn’t want their eyes on them, but there was no other place for him to be right now.

His skin was crawling when he felt Natasha’s gaze on him, so Tony wouldn’t look her way. “Where is he?”

“Tony, you…”

With a nervous gesture Tony indicated Steve to close his mouth. “I want to know where Michael is.”

Tony wanted to know so much more, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. For some reason Clint felt to be one who gave Tony an answer. “In the interrogation room. Agents are talking to him.”

Closing his eyes Tony reached for the table next to him. “Is he…”

“We tested his blood. B positive. Completely human.”

A sob wanted to pass Tony’s lips, but he choked it down. “His eyes were glowing green.”

“We know too little about shape-shifting abilities to rule anything out. Maybe it’s just a glamour, maybe he’s actually capable of transforming his body. We don’t know, so his blood type doesn’t mean anything.”

Tony’s eyes snapped back open and he let out a dry laugh. Feeling relieved that he finally could feel angry. “Now out of a sudden? Because he obviously isn’t fucking Loki, you will continue for some made-up reason that clearly isn’t there!”

Bruce made a step towards him, gently putting his arm on Tony’s arm. “He tried to kill you.”

“With his hands around your throat or a knife in your chest. That’s what Loki said.”

The urge to tell her to never open her stupid mouth again was almost overwhelming, but there was something more important. “I want to see him. Now!”

After some protesting every one of them including Fury realized that they couldn’t hold him back, so Tony got led into a small room, behind a one-way mirror. His throat constricted, like he was being choked again, when Tony could see Michael sitting at a metal table. So small. They had put him in clothes that almost looked like something a patient in a hospital would wear. Grey. Like the cuffs around his wrist, attached to the table. Like a criminal. Like they had done with Loki.

This was Michael.

Michael had tried to stab him.

“Please, I don’t…”

“Mr. Chase, just answer the question.” Two agents were sitting opposite of him and Tony knew by looking at them that they thought Michael was scum.

“I just want to know if Tony…”

“Mr. Chase, we were talking about your parents.”

“What do my parents have to do with anything?!” Michael was just a normal guy. A mathematician, a student, he was 24 years old. No part of him had ever had to deal with cold, hard secret agents that treated him like a criminal. It was normal to lose his cool, to feel intimidated.

“The name of your father.” The agent was unforgiving and Michael slumped back in his chair, seemingly giving up and Tony asked himself how long he had been with them in this room. “Marshall Chase.”

“Your mother?”

“Emily Chase. Is Tony okay? Did I hurt him?”

Tony heard his name from these lips, the pain and the dread which filled these two syllables. Instead of rushing into the interrogation like he wanted to, Tony turned around, facing the Avengers and Fury.

“Where are your parents now?”

“They died six years ago in a fucking car accident… Please, is he hurt? Did I kill him?”

A choked up sob that sounded exactly like Tony was feeling and squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from welling up. “What the fuck are they doing in there?”

“They are trying to find holes in his story.”

Opening his eyes again Tony stared at Natasha and he wished for her to be just once treated the way she was constantly treating everybody else. “What holes? You just stated yourself that he is a human being!”

“Who did take care of you then?”

“I was already 18… I lived with my aunt for half a year… since then I’ve been on my own.”

Tony was shaking, Michael’s voice was so quiet and small. Bruce, since he was an actual friend, was at least trying to be gentle with him, to make him understand that they weren’t unnecessarily cruel. Although they were. “There might be the possibility that… Somebody suggested that Michael really was an actual person. Maybe that you’ve even met him. He doesn’t have a lot of social ties, a dead family, he lives alone and a very quiet life… He would have been perfect to… replace.”

No. Tony thought of the young man he had found in that student bar and he wanted to throw up. His grey eyes and his brilliances when it came down to numbers… “This is ridiculous.”

“It’s something Loki is capable of doing.”

“So Loki would come up with this extremely elaborate plan to do what?! Make me happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life?!”

The only one unafraid to look at him was Natasha. “Because then it would hurt even more if he betrayed you.”

“Shut up!”

“He tried to kill you.”

“I know that!”

“Who was your math teacher in first grade?”

“Why are you asking me these things? I didn’t do… I didn’t want to. I would never want to hurt him… Please, I just want to know…”

“Your math teacher.”

Spinning back around Tony saw his boyfriend still in the same position, despair etching on his face. “What did he tell you that happened?”

“That he can’t explain it. He remembers doing it, but he doesn’t even know where he had the blade from. He woke up and did it, although he didn’t want it. He doesn’t have an explanation.” Fury clearly didn’t believe any of that and Tony thought of the green eyes.

“Mr. Chase, answer the question!”

“No… please, tell me Tony is okay…”

Tony was right here and let them doing this to him. When Michael clearly was on the edge of breaking down, desperate to hear that he hadn’t hurt Tony. Which he hadn’t.

“Mr. Chase, if you don’t answer the question we must assume that you don’t know the answer!”

“What does it matter?!”

Enough. Tony couldn’t listen to this a second longer. “Let him out.”

All of them started talking at once. Some trying to be calm and understanding, others were yelling, but Tony didn’t care. “You tested his fucking blood, he is human. What more do you want? His eyes were glowing green! He was most certainly mind controlled. Let him out before I knock the door down.”

More protests, reasonable arguments even, but Tony’s eyes were on Michael’s bowed head and Tony wasn’t going to stand here when he could protect him. Moving past everyone else Tony ripped the door to the interrogation room open, making the agents fall silent. Michael looked up at him and the fear on his face disappeared for that one moment when there wasn’t anything but Tony. When he knew that Tony was still here, that he hadn’t hurt him. That was going to be enough.

“Mr. Stark, you have no right to…”

“Tony, I’m so sorry.”

“Let him go.” Tony said simply and the agent who didn’t care about any of this, because he had his orders snapped. “You will not talk to the prisoner and immediately…”

Raising his hand Tony revealed his repulsor and slowly repeated what he had just said. “Let him go.”

“I cannot…”

Tony gave a warning shot, aiming at the wall, making everybody flinch. “You let him go right now or I’ll do it myself.”

The agent’s face turned to stone and Tony wasn’t going to lose any more time with him. Michael was still chained to that table and that was unbearable. They weren’t going to do anything about Tony, laying one finger on him would unleash hell and no member of SHIELD was going to risk that. So Tony put his hand on the cuffs where they were attached to the table and used the repulsor to break them apart.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Michael was staring at him in disbelief and only hesitantly shook his head. Reaching for his arm Tony forced him to get to his feet. “Come, we’re leaving.”

He wasn’t able to take a single step, because Michael refused to move. Never had he looked younger than in this moment, with incredibly wide eyes and so afraid. “I can’t… I tried to… what if I do it again? I shouldn’t be around you.”

“Don’t even start. We’re getting out of here and we’re going to work it out. Come on.” Tony grabbed Michael’s hand and pulled him along, only to be confronted with the Avengers as soon as they had left the room.

“Tony, you can’t do this. It’s way too dangerous.”

Steve only wanted to look out for him, Tony knew that, but he couldn’t leave Michael hear with people who wanted to rip him apart, because they hadn’t been able to keep Loki in a cell. “Whatever was done to him, I’ll make it go away. I’m not going to let him here with these bastards who are trying to make him Loki, because they have no idea what is going on.”

“And what if he is Loki?” Natasha was dead to him the moment these words left her lips and Tony walked out on them, his hand still around Michael’s wrist.

 ***

When Michael came back from the bathroom he was wearing sweatpants and a worn-out t-shirt. His movements were slow and unsure, as if this was the first time he was in Tony’s apartment.

Tony offered him a sad smile when Michael slowly sat down next to him on the couch. Leaving plenty of room between them. “I’m sorry that they took you away. I got sent to the hospital and I was…” He was going to say ‘in shock’. “… I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Michael was whispering so quietly, like a person who was embarrassed of his own voice. “I tried to kill you.”

“No, you didn’t. Somebody did something to you and we’re going to figure that out. It’ll be okay.”

“I can’t be around you. What if it happens again?”

Determinedly Tony shook his head. This wasn’t an option. “I’ll figure it out. I promise.”

Michael nodded, clearly not believing him. Tony felt like he should reach out and touch him, reassure him that it was going to be fine, that he wasn’t afraid of him. It had been so easy next to the agents or the Avengers, now that they were alone Tony realized that he couldn’t.

There was no way he was going to forget these green eyes staring at him and the truth was Tony couldn’t know if Michael had been cursed, manipulated, mind-controlled or if he was nothing but a shell for something dark and twisted.

Tony was never going to say it out loud or tolerate somebody else mentioning it, but it was possible that Loki was sitting right next to him. There was no way of knowing. This meant that Michael was real as long as Tony had no proof of it being any different.

There was none and Tony wasn't going to start looking for it.


End file.
